Protect yourself

But if you’re going to stay under the rain and take photos, you’ll also need to protect yourself.

If I know there’s going to be rain, I always take boots, a raincoat and an umbrella.

Holding a small umbrella can be uncomfortable when you’re shooting with your camera, so it might be a good idea to buy a large one. Or if you can get someone else to hold it for you while you’re taking photos, even better!

Protect your camera

Let’s get to the point: how do you protect your camera?

If you’re on a tight budget, there’s a couple of things you should invest in: a towel and a Ziploc bag. You’ll need the Ziploc bag to take your camera and move around without worrying about it getting wet.

When it’s time to take your pictures, you can use the towel to wipe your hands, your tripod and the rest of your stuff, so you’ll be pretty dry to shoot under the umbrella.

If you have some money to spend and you’re serious about photography, I advise you buy a lens hood. It will protect your lens from the rain, and it’ll reduce damage if your camera falls.

You can also get a professional camera rain sleeve and some silica gel packets, that will absorb humidity and moisture.

The depth of field of an image is, put in a simple way, a measure of how much of it is in focus.

For example, a deep depth of field would be a landscape photo where everything appears to be shard and in focus. On the other hand, an image with a shallow depth of field has very few elements in focus. One of the best examples of a shallow depth of field corresponds to portraits, where the subject is in focus but the rest of the picture isn’t.

Technical definition of depth of field

Let’s get more into details. The true definition of the depth of field is the distance between the nearest and the farthest points of acceptable focus.

What’s acceptable focus? It’s when a point appears to be in focus to our eyes but technically isn’t.

So the depth of field measures the distance between the nearest and farthest points that appear to be in focus to our eyes.

Changing the depth of field

The easiest way to change the depth of field is by adjusting the aperture of the lens. This changes the amount of light that goes through it and into the camera sensor.

For a given apertures (f-stop) you can change the depth of field by increasing or decreasing the magnification of the image on your sensor.

However, there are other ways to do it. It’s possible to change the depth of field by moving closer -or farther- from the object, or changing the focal length.

Actually, the depth of field is determined by a very complex system of equations and rules. If you’re interested in the science of photography, you should look into it. Otherwise, you’ll be ok just trying out different apertures. Read more about about changing the depth of field on canon camera by following this link

I’ve always loved long exposure photography. Since I first started taking pictures. I’d say it’s one of my strengths as a photographer.

From time to time I get the question: how do you do it?

Of course, anyone can take long exposure pictures. You just set your shutter speed to a very low value, and that’s it. But it’s not that simple.

Most amateur photographers start using long exposure when they want to take good pictures at night. We’ve all been there. There’s not enough light, everything looks blurry, you don’t know what to do.

Yes, long exposure is extremely useful in a dark scenario. But there’s much more to it.

I’m gonna state the obvious: if you want to take long exposure photos, you’ll need a tripod and a remote or cable release. There’s no way around it.

Next, you should buy a neutral density (ND) filter. A ND filter will block the light, allowing only few photons to get to your lens. This way, you can take long exposure photos during the day, just as you would during the night.

But using a ND filter is a bit tricky. Here a some tips you should keep in mind:

You won’t be able to focus with the filter. Instead, choose your composition and set your focus without the filter, then switch to manual focus, and attach the filter. Be careful not to move the lens.

If you want exposures of more than 60 seconds, you want to use the BULB mode on your camera. This will allow you to leave your shutter open for as long as you want.

Shoot in RAW. Sadly, no neutral density filter is actually neutral. There will always be some color cast on the image. By shooting RAW you’ll be able to correct this in post-processing.

And that’s it. With these tips you’ll get beautiful daytime long exposure photos. Now get out there and start shooting.

One of the key features that distinguish beginner and amazing photos is composition. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, you might be already using it without knowing!

The importance of composition

Whenever you take a picture, you need to make sure that those who see your picture know where to look at. Let’s say you’re walking at the beach and find a beautiful lighthouse. How can you take a great picture of it?

Most beginners make photos with the main subject in the center. It might seem natural: whatever is in the center of the picture is the most important thing. But that’s not how professionals do it.

Amazing photos must tell a story and give context to your subject. That’s why composition is key. It’s the general layout of the elements in your photo. With good composition, the objects are well distributed on the picture, and everything just “feels right”.

Understanding the rule of thirds

Our eyes tend to look first at one of the intersections of the vertical and horizontal lines. You should place your subject and other key objects at those points. By doing so, your picture will look more balanced and natural.

Another great way to use the rule of thirds is by including guiding lines along the horizontal and vertical lines. The best way to apply this is landscape photography.
One

You should always place the horizon in one of the horizontal lines. If you want to focus on the sky, then place the horizon on the lower line. Otherwise, place it on the upper line, and you’ll get more land or water.

Getting a little help

You must keep the rule of thirds in mind, but you don’t need to do it on your own. Most smartphones and DSLR cameras like Canon 5ds include an optional grid for you to use the rule of thirds. Just enable it on your settings and start taking amazing pictures!

Great photos are those that transmit a message. Whether it’s a portrait or a landscape, you may have tried to recreate some great pictures and felt there’s something missing. The problem is most likely the light.

You should always take some time to study different angles and positions and decide which ones get the best light. For landscapes, daylight is key. You’ll get more color at sunrise and sunset, but you’ll get fewer shadows at midday. For portraits, you should avoid direct sunlight. A good tip is to move your hand around and find the position where the light on your palm is even. You can also use shadows in your favor to create dramatic effects.

Finding the best light is usually what makes the difference between an amateur and a professional.

Over exposing bright features

When taking pictures with high contrast between dark and light areas, beginner will usually set their exposure to the dark features which may be one of many beginner photography mistakes. Otherwise, you feel like you are losing those details. However, this means the light parts of your photo will be over exposed.

Imagine taking a picture of a room with a window. If you set your exposure so that you see the details of what’s inside, the window will appear like a white square. The best way to fix is to set the expose to the window and let the room remain dark: you can then fix this with a post-production software (Lightroom, Darktable).

Lacking spontaneity

Photography is not an exact science. You may have excellent ideas and plan a photo shoot step by step, but be disappointed with the results. It is essential to be able to improvise.

If you are taking pictures of models, instead of giving them exact directions of what they should do, you can try sharing a feeling or an emotion for them to recreate. Posed photos feel fake; try to get your models to laugh or dance, to feel sad or angry.

If you are able to capture raw feelings and emotions your pictures will become much more powerful and meaningful.

Great photos are those that transmit a message. Whether it’s a portrait or a landscape, you may have tried to recreate some great pictures and felt there’s something missing. The problem is most likely the light.

You should always take some time to study different angles and positions and decide which ones get the best light. For landscapes, daylight is key. You’ll get more color at sunrise and sunset, but you’ll get fewer shadows at midday. For portraits, you should avoid direct sunlight. A good tip is to move your hand around and find the position where the light on your palm is even. You can also use shadows in your favor to create dramatic effects.

Finding the best light is usually what makes the difference between an amateur and a professional.

Over exposing bright features

When taking pictures with high contrast between dark and light areas, beginner will usually set their exposure to the dark features. Otherwise, you feel like you are losing those details. However, this means the light parts of your photo will be over exposed.

Imagine taking a picture of a room with a window. If you set your exposure so that you see the details of what’s inside, the window will appear like a white square. The best way to fix is to set the expose to the window and let the room remain dark: you can then fix this with a post-production software (Lightroom, Darktable).

Lacking spontaneity

Photography is not an exact science. You may have excellent ideas and plan a photo shoot step by step, but be disappointed with the results. It is essential to be able to improvise and avoid beginner photography mistakes.

If you are taking picturesof models, instead of giving them exact directions of what they should do, you can try sharing a feeling or an emotion for them to recreate. Posed photos feel fake; try to get your models to laugh or dance, to feel sad or angry.

If you are able to capture raw feelings and emotions your pictures will become much more powerful and meaningful.

Baby pictures are loved by everyone. Baby photography is one of the most exciting and fun types of photography. Well done pictures make the viewing even more pleasurable.

An infant should be photographed as soon as possible after birth. At about a week the infant will grow out of the curled up stage into an unfurled position. Then you can never get that early shot again.

Plan Your Shots for Real Effect

Make a list of the shots you definitely want. After you make these shots you can become creative and try different angles, different positions, and ideas. There is a lot of room for creativity in photographing babies.

The best time to photograph babies is after they have been fed and have been set down to take a nap. A small amount of noise will not disturb them, and you can move their arms and legs for the shot.

Plan the Best Time

First, get all of the distractions out of the shooting area. Things like bottles, nappies, and other extraneous materials will add clutter and make for a messy shot. Include things like a favorite toy or teddy.

Think about things to place your baby on or in for the picture. A soft bean bag covered with a non-reflective piece of plain muted fabric makes a nice pedestal upon which to place the baby. The bean bag will cradle the baby comfortably.

Plan the Best Positions

Put the baby in the center of the bean bag, and take photos from all angles including from straight above. Have the baby look in the direction you want, but don’t let his face or eyes be in the shadows.

The best way to photograph a newborn is in the nude. Have the room nice and warm so the baby will be comfortable. Dress comfortably yourself as you will be getting warm.

Plan the Light

You will want to use diffused even light. Never use a flash. It is unattractive in a baby photograph and disruptive as well. The best light is soft light such as indirect light through a window. Photograph the baby in the area where the light just begins to fade off.

The use of a fast lens is best as it will allow you to shoot at a large aperture and work in a darker environment. It will allow for better focus on you subject and will blur backdrops to eliminate distractions.

Use a zoom lens to vary the look of your shots. This will help in making those cute close-in shots of baby’s hands, feet, and other small features that people find so appealing. You can also fan out to catch the baby in a nice context, or in a picture that shows the child’s full length.

Get Closeup Shots

To highlight the newborn’s minute size get in as close as you can and photograph his cute little toes, little lips, little fingers and other small body parts. You can also photograph the baby’s hand on mother’s or father’s hand, or the baby’s feet between dad’s feet or introduce other items in the shot so that there will be a comparison to baby’s size.

Use Photoshop to improve your images in creative way. You may even want to check them out in black and white. If you have made the photographs in color use Photoshop to de-saturate the colors for a softer look. Remember that you can use a collection of your better shots in a photo album to make a nice gift for a close relative.